Keira Hunt
Keira Marie Hunt (May 5, 3548 - February 23, 3636) was the 167th President of Rutania and the former two term Governor of Kragusrov. Hunt's presidency was largely based around foreign policy, partly due to several important conflicts facing Artania and a somewhat peaceful domestic front. She was lauded for her foreign policy and diplomacy with other nations, but was criticized for creating an environment for nationalism to thrive as well as advocating for controversial legislation that allowed wiretapping citizen's phones and emails. Political scientists and professors have labeled Hunt's presidency as one of the most successful in modern Rutanian history. =Early Life= She was born in Spaak in 3548 to a middle class family. Her parents both worked at the same high school in the city and she would also go on to be taught by both of her parents as well, often being labeled as the "teacher's pet". Her involvement in politics started when she entered into college at the University of Bozarland in 3566, joining various organizations, but largely remaining independent. Hunt would later say her decision to be independent was because "none of the parties at the time represented her interests." After graduating college with a B.S. in political science, Hunt was prepared to work for a political consulting company when she was approached by Max Williams, the man who would later go on to restart the Urban Party. After talking with Hunt off and on for almost a year, Williams convinced her to come work for the party and she did, officially joining the party the same year it reactivated. She rose through the ranks of the UPR very quickly and when the party was selecting candidates, she was chosen by then interim leader at the time to be the candidate. Because the opposition put up a very weak candidate, she went on to become the Governor of Kragusrov in 3589 with 95% of the vote. =Governorship= Given her lack of political knowledge, she was very naive and unsure during her first term, so much so that she surrounded herself "yes-men" in her Cabinet. By her second term, she was more or less familiar with everything and became an effective Governor, switching out most of them for people who would challenge her views. As Governor, Hunt backed the UPR in most of its proposals, although she was against the party's bill which privatized the pension system. She successfully secured the construction of a nuclear power plant, albeit at the expense of a concession which delayed a key portion of her planned high school assessment reforms. The reform itself was met with hostility by teachers and parents alike over the fact that it required teachers to "teach to the test" instead of them teaching a curriculum setup by them. Towards the end of her second term, many were calling for her to run for the party's presidential nomination, leading Hunt to dodge questions over her future ambitions. She would formally declared her intention to run on September 3, 3592, joining a crowded field of candidates. Hunt would be helped out by the fact she received the endorsement of the current President at the time Lawrence Bachmeier. She would go on to win 4 of the 5 primaries and in August, was nominated at the party's convention. After a tenuous election campaign, Hunt was elected President with 54% of the vote. =Presidency= First Term The start of her first term was calm for a short period of time before a foreign policy crisis dominated the headlines. In 3598, Dundorf and Aloria, both neighbors of Rutania became embroiled into a heated discussion that spread all throughout North Artania and beyond. Her calmness under pressure and encouragement of Patriotism earned her praise at home and abroad, but it lead to a rise in nationalism and a reported increase in hate groups. Hunt's tone concerning the Dundorfians were very sharp and at times, often bordering on threats of conflict: "Dundorf is fast approaching a red line; a line it does not want to cross. Make no mistake if they do cross it, I will be forced to act in the best interests of our allies and of the Commonwealth." 3599 saw the opening of a second session of the Artanian Union, an organization which Hunt has been a strong proponent of. She hoped to use the meeting as a way to "mend the broken fences between Artanian nations." On January 15 of that year, she became the first President to use an Executive Order, issuing two of them the same day creating an Ambassador for Rutania to the AU and temporarily appointing her predecessor Lawrence Bachmeier to the position. While Bachmeier dealt with the foreign policy, Hunt was able to focus on domestic issues, such as the new ACAH ArachnoFeminist Party which focused a campaign of racism and hatred against certain members of society and her attempt to pass the controversial Combating and Eliminating Rogue Institutions and Peoples Act (CERIP Act) which would've allowed the government the powers of wiretapping citizens unknowingly. The next two years saw Hunt's approval ratings (and support) plummet after a slew of scandals involving her press secretary and two of her aides. She was further hampered by her insistence on the passage of the CERIP Act which was vastly unpopular. In the beginning of the year, with her numbers at an all time low of 43%, it seemed that she would go on to lose the election. However, key mistakes by the Nationalist Party and foreign policy successes allowed her to comeback in the poles and win reelection against Sid Arthur with almost 52% of the vote. Second Term Her second term, unlike her predecessor, was more active despite the amount of inactivity in the Parliament. Almost immediately, she insisted her party move a much more stripped down CERIP Act to vote, hoping to attract the Nationalists, but they refused to vote for it. In fact, most of Hunt's second term both the Nationalists and the ArachnoFeminists refused to vote on bills, always choosing to abstain on them, hampering Hunt's progress, particularly on the treaty with Dorvik which was voted down twice due to abstentions by both parties. In an interview with the Sunday talk show National Press, Hunt said she was, "embarrassed at the amount of inactivity and apathy by some in the Parliament." The inactivity on the domestic front would be replaced with activity on the international circuit as problems stemming from Ibutho would find their way into Rutania. On March 19, 3604, Prince Zonke and his husband were given political asylum in Rutania after facing persecution in their home country over their same-sex marriage. The resulting fire-storm created a controversy which soon led to many from the nation arriving at border crossings seeking asylum. Two weeks out from the election, Hunt took an unusual step in issuing an Executive Order to close the border between Rutania and Ibutho to stop the mass migration into the country. Initial feelings have been mixed so far and only time will tell if she is affected by it during the election. Third Term On April 3, 3607, she announced she wouldn't seek a fourth term in office, opting to retire from politics all together when her term is up. =Post-Presidency= After leaving the Presidency, Hunt published 2 best selling books; "Life at the Top" which chronicles her time in office and the challenges she faced as President and "Checkmate", a guide to running successful campaigns for public office. Hunt had been one of the more active Presidents in recent memory, often being seen photographed rock climbing and cycling. =Election Results= !colspan=5 align=center|President of Rutania |- !align=center|Year !align=center|Votes !align=center|% !align=center|Outcome !align=center|Result |- |align=center|3597||24,051,596||54.14%||align=center|1st||align=center|Won |- |align=center|3601||28,520,466||51.58%||align=center|1st||align=center|Reelected |- |align=center|3605||36,163,599||59.79%||align=center|1st||align=center|Reelected |- |} !colspan=5 align=center|Governor of Kragusrov |- !align=center|Year !align=center|Votes !align=center|% !align=center|Outcome !align=center|Result |- |align=center|3589||1,794,722||95.03%||align=center|1st||align=center|Won |- |align=center|3593||10,568,300||98.78%||align=center|1st||align=center|Reelected |- |} Category:UPR Politicians Category:Rutanian politicians